


Dream a little dream of us

by SweetHeaven



Category: Free!
Genre: I have a thing for calling Rin and Haru "shark" and "dolphin", M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 18:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7694938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetHeaven/pseuds/SweetHeaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin has the most awesome dream about him and Haru, a dream that makes him feel elated and strangely embarrassed at the same time. Sadly, Haru doesn't seem that thrilled about it...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream a little dream of us

**Author's Note:**

> (I edited the summary because there was a typo, hopefully that won't make the story appear on the first page again; I'm really sorry if it does)
> 
> This fic is based on the dream Rin had in the Rin x Haru mook. In case you haven't read it, here's a very brief summary: Rin is a policeman who meets Haru, a half-fish man. Haru is hired to work in the aquarium, Rin feels bad that Haru is in the tank all the time so he takes him out to show him his favourite views and places, because he wants to share them with Haru, but Haru is not impressed.  
> Haru is kidnapped by Kisumi and his gang, who wants to sell Haru because his flesh is supposed to make people immortal (which is not true). Rin tries to help him escape, but he ends up locked in a cell. Haru lets Rin bite his neck because his blood will give Rin super strength, so Rin bites Haru, gets amazing muscles and they escape together.  
> In the mook, when Rin tells him about his dream, Haru actually asks him how it is that he had such a stupid dream. I got to read the mook translation here: http://rinharu-official.tumblr.com/tagged/rinharu-mook, so the person who runs this blog deserves the credit for it. I don’t have a Tumblr and I don’t even know how it works, so I don’t know their name and I don’t know how to find out to give them credit properly, I’m really sorry about that.
> 
> I've changed Rin's reaction and I've made up the rest of the story. Hope you like it!
> 
> Also, it's my first time posting here so I'm really sorry if the format is weird or I mess up the tags or something...

"...And that was my dream! What do you think, Nanase?"

 _‘Bothersome,’_ Haru thought. Rin was looking at him expectantly. What was he supposed to say?

"How did you dream up such a stupid dream?" the dolphin asked in an emotionless voice turning his dull eyes to Rin.

The redhead looked down, an unusually serious expression adorning his lips.

"Stupid?" he murmured in a voice so low that Haru almost missed it.

He waited for the feisty shark to say something else, but he remained silent for several seconds. Haru just stared at him.

"You really are something else, Nanase..." Rin finally said shaking his head, and Haru thought there was a tinge of sadness in his voice.

The ring of the bell signalling the end of their break period saved Haru from having to reply to his friend's words, but the dolphin could feel Rin's eyes on the back of his head for a long time afterwards.

* * *

  
_'Stupid, uh? So he thinks it's ridiculous, after all...'_ Rin thought sadly, fixing his gaze on the boy in front of him. He had got to school in a very good mood that morning, because he had had the most awesome dream about him and Haru, and he was looking forward to telling the other boy.

Truth be told, he knew Haru was not as enthusiastic or expressive as himself, so he was not expecting the dolphin to start shouting how amazing the dream was. But, saying it was 'stupid'? Rin hadn't seen that coming, and now he felt like an idiot.

That dream had meant something to him. It had been fun, and exciting and... Well, Rin didn't know how to define it, but the memory of certain parts of the dream made his blood run to his cheeks. And he had been so curious to see what Haru would think about it.

 **Ridiculous**. That's what the blue-eyed boy had thought. He had shown no interest in Rin's dream, what it could mean or what the shark felt about it. The redhead had wanted to share it with his friend so badly, and Haru just didn't give a damn.

Rin was extremely disappointed by Haru's reaction, and he couldn't even understand why it bothered him so much. Was that what Haru really thought of him? That he was stupid and his dreams were ridiculous and he wasn't worth his time? The redhead spent the rest of the period looking intently at the back of Haru's head, as if he could enter the other boy's mind just by staring at him.

As if he could make Haru care.

* * *

The rest of the day was extremely ordinary, but despite the lack of relevant events, Haru felt a certain awkwardness in the air around him. And the epicentre of said awkwardness was no other than Rin.

Haru could feel the change in the redhead. His usually loud, annoying friend was strangely quiet, sulky. Even Makoto seemed to notice it, as he kept casting furtive glances at Rin every now and then.

"So..." the green-eyed boy started, unsure, "do you want to go play videogames after school? It's Friday..."

Rin, who would have been the first to jump at the idea any other day, just shrugged. That gesture made Haru feel uneasy and slightly irritated. A part of him wanted to ask the other boy what was wrong with him; another part thought it would be too bothersome to ride the emotional rollercoaster known as Rin Matsuoka and he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with Rin's swinging moods that went from crazy antics to defeated looks and sad sighs.

"Haru-chan? What do you think? Can we go to your place?" Makoto asked.

"Sure," Haru murmured.

* * *

 

"No! Not there, you idiot!" Rin shouted at the screen, where his game character was just doing what Rin had ordered him to do with his controller instead of what the redhead _actually_ wanted him to do. "Why did you jump, loser?" the shark groaned when the soldier under his control was killed for the umpteenth time.

"It's because you keep pressing the triangle instead of the square," Haru said with a sigh.

Rin just looked at him, an emotion Haru didn't recognize flashing in his red eyes.

"Oh, yeah, it's true. Thanks, Nanase. It's good you told me, I wouldn't have figured it out on my own, I'm just so stupid, right?" Rin said with a crooked smile. Haru didn't like his tone.

"Well, you have been killed like ten times in the same spot, so you obviou-" a painful nudge on his ribs, courtesy of Makoto, shut Haru up. Rin was looking away from him, _again_ , and his hands were shaking and it just felt so wrong.

"Maybe it's because of the way you grab the controller," Makoto intervened. "It's probably more natural for you to press the triangle," he added with a warm smile, soothing Rin.

"Yeah... maybe," the redhead conceded. "Tachibana, you're really good at this game! Teach me some tricks, please?"

"Sure!"

While the boys were having dinner, Makoto gave the shark several tips. The brown-haired boy had Rin's undivided attention, and Haru didn't like it. He supposed he should be happy about it. Rin had a tendency to overload Haru's tolerance level and try his patience, so he figured he should be glad now that Rin was leaving him alone.

But he wasn't. Because something felt very, _very wrong_ in the way Rin was acting. It didn't seem as if Rin had finally understood that Haru needed his own space sometimes. It seemed Rin was paying him no attention because he didn't want to be around Haru.

He knew that the shark was ignoring him on purpose. The redhead was clearly mad at him, that much was obvious, but Haru just couldn't figure out why.

Everything had been fine in the morning, with Rin being his usual, loud self. He had bothered Haru about the usual things and then he had told him about that crazy dream and his mood had suddenly changed.

Haru went over the conversation in his head. Rin had been so excited when talking about his dream, then Haru had asked him how he had dreamt something so stupid and... Wait... Was Rin angry because Haru had said his dream was stupid? Well, he had seemed to get upset after that, so it had to be the reason, right?

**_'Thanks, Nanase. It's good you told me, I wouldn't have figured it out on my own, I'm just so stupid, right?'_ **

So Rin believed Haru considered him stupid and he was sad about that? Haru sighed. Honestly, the redhead was such a drama queen sometimes... Ok, so Haru had said the dream was stupid, but that didn't mean he thought Rin was.  
Granted, the shark said kind-of-stupid things sometimes, but he was far from being an idiot. Haru didn't think such bad things about Rin. He liked Rin. He liked him a lot. But that didn't change the fact that his dream had been pretty stupid.

Ok, maybe the word "stupid" was too harsh. Had he been mean by saying that? But even Rin should admit that it was way too weird. Haru being a half-fish man? Rin as a policeman and Kisumi, of all people, as a gang leader? Haru having magic blood that made Rin super strong? It was crazy!

And that was not the worst part... Both being adults? Rin wanting to share all the things he loved with him? Rin brushing a sakura petal off of Haru's cheek? Rin _biting his neck_? How was he supposed to react to _that_?

Just thinking about it now brought an unbearable heat to his face and a tingling sensation to his neck. He didn't even know how to feel about that. What was he supposed to reply when Rin had asked him what he thought?

"Haru-chan," Makoto's concerned voice reached his ears, "are you alright? Your face is all red..."

"Yeah... I... Do you want to play another videogame?"

"Hmm, no, I can't. It's quite late and I have to go home," Makoto said.

"Yes, I should go home, too," Rin murmured, avoiding Haru's gaze.

The three boys reached the door and when Rin opened it, they were greeted by a blanket of white snow and a gush of freezing wind.

"Oh, wow!" Makoto giggled, "we didn't even noticed it was snowing!"

"Tsk," Rin clicked his tongue, obviously annoyed by the circumstances. Understandable, Haru thought, considering Rin didn't live next door like Makoto and he would have to walk home in the snow and in the cold air.

The redhead stepped outside, but Haru's hand shot up and grabbed his sleeve.

"You can stay the night," Haru mumbled, looking to his side.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll go home."

"Matsuoka," the dolphin said, silently pleading for his friend to stop being stubborn, "it's freezing cold and there's snow up to your knee..." Of course, Haru was exaggerating a bit, but still, it would be dangerous for Rin to walk home in the snow at night.

"Are... Are you sure?" the redhead asked, his eyes slightly narrowed and a wary tone in his voice.

"Yes," Haru mumbled again, looking directly at Rin this time to show that he was serious.

Makoto just looked from one to the other, wondering what was going on between them and hoping that whatever it was, they could work it out soon.

"Ok," Rin finally accepted, although he didn't smile like he usually did whenever it was decided that he was going to sleep at Haru's.

Silence stretched for several seconds until Makoto cleared his throat and announced he was going home.

"Goodnight, Makoto," Haru and Rin said at the same time.

"Goodnight! Sleep tight!" Makoto replied before closing the door behind him.

Again, an awkward silence enveloped the pair.

"I... I'm gonna phone my mom to tell her I'll be staying here..." Rin said, nervous fingers playing with a button in his coat, "and you can go and...uh... prepare a futon?"

Haru frowned -Rin used to share Haru's bed whenever he slept there- but he nodded anyway.

"Ok..." Haru walked to the wardrobe in his parent's bedroom and took a rolled futon. The room was cold, even though the heating was on. Haru touched the radiator. It wasn't hot at all. Frowning, Haru went to touch the radiator on the corridor. Cold. The boy headed to his grandma's room, where he found the woman already in bed, reading a book.

"Grandma... I think the heating is not working..."

The woman got up and walked to the kitchen with her grandson. She inspected a panel with different lights, narrowing her eyes.

"I see..." she murmured "You're right, Haru. It doesn't work. I'll call tomorrow morning for someone to come and fix it, but tonight we will need an extra blanket, ok?" she smiled fondly at him while they walked back to her bedroom. "Do you want to sleep in my room?"

"My friend is staying over..." Haru mumbled, nodding his head towards Rin, who was speaking on the phone at the end of the corridor. The blue-eyed boy was averting the woman's gaze and feeling an uncomfortable heat on his cheeks.

What was wrong with him tonight? His grandma's grin became wider.

"Ok then. Don't go to sleep too late, alright?"

Haru just nodded and his grandma ruffled his hair affectionately before disappearing inside her bedroom.

* * *

When Rin entered the room, Haru had already unrolled the futon and had placed it next to his bed.

"My mom said it's alright if I stay here, and she told me to thank you and your grandma..." he said.

"My grandma is in bed already, so just thank her tomorrow," Haru stated. Rin could see that there was something off about Haru, about the way he was sitting on his bed, fidgeting, as if he was unsure of what to do or say.

It was not surprising, Rin thought. Maybe Haru was upset because he thought that Rin was going to have another of those stupid dreams while sleeping next to his bed and that made the dolphin uncomfortable.

The tick of the clock was the only sound in the room.

"Uh... Ok... Thank you for letting me stay, Nanase," Rin said eventually. He just wanted to go to sleep and leave as soon as possible in the morning. Haru didn't say anything but nodded briefly.

The blue-eyed boy stood abruptly and walked to his closet. After some minutes of rummaging through his clothes, he handed Rin a pair of sweatpants and a red T-shirt.

"Here, you can wear these," Haru mumbled. He took out his own pyjamas and changed silently.

"Aren't you taking a bath?" Rin asked with a frown while putting his borrowed clothes on. He had been counting on Haru leaving the room to have enough time to get in the futon and fall asleep, or at least pretend he was asleep so he wouldn't have to talk to the other boy.

"The heating is not working and it's very cold. I wouldn't mind, really, but my grandma would probably get angry if I got in the bathtub," Haru said. He was obviously trying to sound nonchalant, but Rin could see he was a bit tense. He kept curling and uncurling his toes and playing with a loose thread in his pants.

"Ok..." Rin said. He got in the futon and curled up turning his back to Haru. "Good night."

"Good night," Haru replied, and Rin could feel the other boy's eyes on him. He still could feel the dolphin's stare even after they had turned the lights off.

* * *

Rin couldn't sleep. His clattering teeth and cold body made it impossible for him to rest.  
_'It's freezing!'_ he thought, annoyed. Haru had said the heating wasn't working, and he had noticed an extra blanket over his futon before, but it was not enough. He curled up and rubbed his arms, trying to stop himself from shivering.

Maybe... Maybe he could ask Haru for another blanket or something... No. He couldn't do it. Because asking for an extra blanket would be like admitting he was freezing. And Haru had only one blanket and was sleeping peacefully, which meant that he was not as cold as Rin. Which meant Haru was tougher. If Rin confessed he was cold, he would look weak in Haruka’s eyes. And wasn't it bad enough that Nanase thought he was stupid? Rin didn't want to give the other kid any reasons to think that he was also a pussy, to top it all.

His feet were going numb from the cold, and still he refused to wake Haru up. He decide to put his socks on, so that at least he could feel a bit warmer. He moved around in the darkness, looking for his clothes. He found a messy pile with his trousers, his shirt, his sweater and even his scarf, but his socks were nowhere to be seen.

 _'Crap!'_ he thought, fumbling for them and momentarily annoyed at himself for being so careless. All the times his mother had scolded him for throwing his clothes any which way whenever he entered his room and he had brushed her off crossed his mind.

An irritated sigh behind him made him freeze immediately.

"What are you doing?" Haruka whispered, his warm breath tickling Rin's ear.

"I... was looking for something..." Rin replied, unable to find an excuse and clearly embarrassed at being caught red-handed.

"For what?" Haru asked with a frown. "It's almost 3am, can't you wait until tomorrow?" his voice was as emotionless as ever, but Rin thought he could see genuine curiosity in his moonlit eyes.

"My... my socks," the shark said, "I'm sorry I woke you up," he mumbled lowering his head, hoping that Haru would just drop it.

"Don't be, I was awake already. And what do you want your socks for?" the blue-eyed boy repeated, and Rin cursed in his head. He was trying to come up with some plausible excuse when Haru spoke again. "Are you cold?"

Rin jerked his head.

"No!" he said in a high-pitched voice, "I just..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Haru suddenly kneeled before him and touched his feet.

"You are cold," the blue-eyed boy said, and this time it was not a question.

Rin snorted. "Well, it _is_ cold here, isn't it? But I'm fine!" he almost shouted, eager to convince Haru with his usual bravado.

"There's some cold air passing through the gap under the door. You would be warmer if you slept in the bed," the dolphin said. Rin had the impression that his voice sounded as if he was talking to a small kid. That enraged him.

"I said I'm fine!" he yelled.

"Shhh!" Haru shushed him, "you're going to wake grandma up..."

"Sorry..." Rin mumbled embarrassed. They stayed quiet for a while, until Rin decided that the situation was ridiculous.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm fine, really. We can go back to sleep now," he said, walking back to his futon.

The other boy didn't move. Rin looked at him questioningly.

Haru sighed again. "Just get in the bed, Matsuoka. It's very cold and it's not going to get any better, and the bed is warmer. It's alright if you sleep with me. Besides, that way, we can have three blankets..."

Rin wondered if that was Haru's way of saying he was cold too, and suddenly the idea of sleeping in the same bed didn't seem so bad. It was late, it was freezing cold, and he didn't want to disturb Haru's grandma with their argument. Knowing that Haru had kind of admitted he was not much tougher than Rin and also wanted more blankets-no matter that he had done it indirectly and unconsciously- made him feel better about it, too.

"Ok," Rin finally accepted and he got in the bed.

It was only after Haru got in too and turned his back to him that Rin felt insecure again. Was Haru really comfortable with him sleeping in his bed after what had transpired between them? What if he dreamt of Haru again?

What if he said Haru's name or something? Wouldn't that be soooo awkward? Would Haru kicked him out of the bed -or even out of the house?!

"Nanase?" he asked tentatively.

"What now?" Haru replied. He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Are... are you sure that it's ok for me to sleep here? I can go back to the futon..."

Haru sighed for the umpteenth time that night. "I said it was alright, didn't I?

"Yeah, that's what you said... But I don't know, maybe you can't sleep if I'm here..."

Haru turned to look at him, the moonlight shinning between them. The blue-eyed boy was frowning, again.

"I've told you, I don't mind. Besides, I couldn't sleep when you were in the futon either, with all the noises you were making while you were fooling around..."

Rin felt really bad at that. It was the third time that day that Haru had let him know he thought Rin was a fool. A clown that couldn't be taken seriously, someone that annoyed him with his ridiculous behaviour and thoughts and... feelings. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He felt like crying. He had been hurting all day, and all the pent up pain he had inside was threatening now to overflow his barriers.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Na-Nanase..." he apologised, hot tears welling up in his eyes. He shouldn't have stayed the night, he knew it. He was making things worse. But at this point, who cared? Haru already thought he was an annoying idiot anyway. "I'm so, so sorry, I..."

"...Rin?" Haru’s soft voice interrupted Rin's apology. The dark-haired boy was looking at him with wide eyes, seemingly surprised by his reaction.

The shark didn't miss the use of his first name. He fought to regain his composure and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, really. I'm such a bother, I know. I..." he was trying to stay calm, but it was difficult to stop himself from crying.

After all, how can you **_not_** cry over apologizing for being yourself to someone you want to like you for who you? He wanted Haru to like him, to accept him and to reciprocate Rin's feelings, whatever those were. And now he was apologizing for being the way he was, because Haru didn't like him. Haru tolerated him at the most, and that hurt.

Rin noticed a feathery touch on his cheek, so soft that for a second he thought he had imagined it. He opened his puffed eyes and looked in awe as Haru gently brushed his wet cheek, wiping his tears away.

"Rin..." Haru called his name again. Rin had never thought he would hear such sweetness in the other boy's voice.

"Haru..." he whispered, "I'm sor-"

Haruka silenced him placing a finger on his lips.

"Rin, please don't cry..." Haru said, and for a second Rin was scared he had angered Haru with his embarrassing behaviour, but the dolphin's voice held no annoyance or mockery. It was almost pleading, thick with emotion. "Why are you crying?"

"I..." Rin didn't know where to start. He rubbed his eyes furiously. "I'm just mad at myself, I guess."

Haru didn't say anything, but he moved an inch closer to Rin and nodded briefly, urging the redhead to continue.

"I... " he hesitated at first, but once he started to speak, he couldn't stop, "I'm always pestering you and annoying you and I'm always chasing you because I want you to like me, but you don't really like me, you just put up with me because I won't leave you alone but you think I'm ridiculous and stupid and now I know I shouldn't have told you about that dream and I was such an idiot for getting so happy and excited about it and I wish I hadn't dreamt it at all and..." Rin stopped his rant when he noticed Haru moving closer in the narrow bed.

Being so near, Rin could perfectly read the emotion in Haru's averted eyes. Guilt.

"Is this..." Haru licked his lips, "is this because I said that your dream was stupid?"

"Well, partially..." Rin replied. Great. Now Haru was going to think he was a drama queen. He briefly wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment and if he would have any dignity left by the time he came back to his home the following morning.

But Haru was not looking at him as if he was going to judge him. He had moved another inch closer, and Rin realized that if both of them leant forward just a tiny bit, their noses would be touching. The thought sent a shiver down his spine.

"I'm sorry, Rin..." Haru whispered, "I don't think you're stupid. And I don't put up with you. I really like being around you."

Rin wondered how Haru could say those embarrassing things with such a blank face. But the emotion swirling in his blue eyes betrayed him. He was far from unaffected by the things he was admitting.

"And I'm really sorry that I said your dream was stupid," the dolphin continued, his hand brushing Rin's under the blankets. "I admit I think it was... weird. But I shouldn't have said that. I never meant to make you feel bad..."

"It's alright, Haru... It’s not your fault," Rin said with a sad smile, and he meant it. You can't control the way you feel about things.

"Yes, it is. I'm not saying this to make you feel better now... I really don't think it was stupid. I just... I didn't know what to say when you asked about it," Haru continued.

"Why?" Rin asked, surprised by Haru's confession.

"There were... certain things... I didn't know what to think of them..." the dolphin mumbled, averting his eyes from Rin, who thought he could see a soft pink shadow on the other boy's cheeks.

Rin understood that feeling all too well. He had been quite confused himself.

"Yeah... I get what you mean..." he admitted. Deep inside, he was dying to know which things Haruka was referring to. The image of his adult self biting Haru's neck flashed in his mind.

"Do you?" Haru asked, and Rin thought he could hear relief and also... curiosity in his voice.

"Yes... I know it was kind of bizarre," Rin said, too embarrassed to elaborate. A part of him wished Haru dropped the subject. Another part wanted to have the courage to ask Haru what he was thinking. "I'm glad we talked about this, Haru," he said eventually, deciding to drop the topic himself, "I feel better now."

"Me too," Haru said.

They laid in bed in companionable silence, just looking into each other's eyes. The room was still cold, but Rin felt warm inside. Whether it was because of the blankets or because he was so relieved after sorting things out with Haru, he wasn't sure. Sleep was starting to fog his mind, and he unconsciously searched for Haru's hand under the sheets.

"Hey," Haru's soft voice broke the silence, "what... what do you think it meant?" the blue-eyed boy asked, avoiding Rin's gaze.

"What?" Rin asked groggily, stifling a yawn.

"Your dream," Haru said, rolling his eyes, probably thinking that it should be obvious.

Rin woke up completely at those words. It was the perfect chance to ask Haru about what parts had had him so confused, so he jumped at it.

"What exactly?" he said as nonchalantly as possible, secretly hoping that they were the same things that had confused himself.

"Well... Why were we adults? And why were you so persistent about showing me those things? Do you think it means something?"

"Uh..." Rin eloquently replied, disappointed that Haru wasn't as confused about the neck-biting thing as he was. "I guess it means I would like us to be friends in the future and... share stuff?" he added, offering Haru a shy smile.

"It makes sense," Haru nodded in agreement.

Rin waited for him to say something else, but Haru seemed satisfied enough.

"Good night, Haru," the redhead said turning around in an attempt to hide his disappointment. He wasn't really sure of what he had been expecting, but he knew this wasn't it. He had wanted more, and that thought scared him. Haru had admitted he liked spending time with him, he seemed to be happy about Rin wanting them to share things in the future. Haru had made it clear he saw him as a dear friend. And still, Rin wasn't satisfied.

A stupid, selfish part of him wanted _more_ from Haru. He curled up in a ball, angry at himself for being so greedy.

"Rin..." Haru whispered in Rin's ear, startling him.

"Wh... What?" Rin stuttered. He wanted to turn around and face Haru, but the other boy's body was too close to his, leaving no room for Rin to move.

"What do you think about the neck-biting? What do you think it means?" Haru's blunt tone made Rin gasp.

This was what the redhead had wanted to talk about before, but now that Haru had brought it up, he didn't know what to say. Because he didn't have an answer to that question.

"Well..." he started, unsure, "I don't know if it really has some hidden meaning or anything..."

"Do you want to... bite me?" Haru whispered again. A part of Rin wished he could see Haru's face in that exact moment to search for any trace of mockery, but he would probably die of embarrassment if he saw, so it was better this way.

"No... Not really," he said, and it was true. In all honesty, he didn't want to bite Haru like that. It had seemed painful and rushed in his dream.

"Oh," Haru replied, is voice barely audible.

Rin noticed how the other boy moved away from him in the small bed, taking his comforting warmth with him, and even though they were only inches apart, Rin felt as if he had been left alone in the room.

He mustered the courage to turn around and face Haru again.

Haru's face was bathed in moonlight, and his features had a silvery edge that made him look as if he was a part of some dream Rin didn't want to wake up from. His usually dull blue eyes showed an emotion that Rin recognize as disappointment.

"Haru..." he whispered, gently caressing the boy's cheek. Haru swallowed audibly.

Rin's eyes darted to Haru's lips. He moved an inch towards the blue-eyed boy.

"Rin..." Haru said in a soft sigh. He also moved forward, his eyes never leaving Rin's.

Rin's heart was pounding wildly in his chest, but he felt bolder than he had ever felt before.

"Haru, I don't want to bite you. It seemed painful in my dream. But I want... I mean, I would like to... May I..." he struggled to find the right words to express his feelings without scaring Haru off.

"May you...?" Haru urged him to continue, making Rin more nervous.

"I want to kiss you!" he finally blurted out.

"You want to kiss me," Haru repeated. He didn't sound as shocked as Rin expected. The redhead took it as a good sign.

"Yes," he stated, the pink in his cheeks betraying the boldness in his voice. He realized then and there that kissing Haru was something he had been wanting to do for quite a long time even though he hadn't actually known it until that moment.

"Then do it," Haru whispered, leaning forwards.

Rin let his eyelids drop and closed the gap between their mouths. Haru's soft, inviting lips moved gently against his, and his hand grasped Rin's under the sheets, making his skin tingle.

When they broke apart slowly, both were blushing and averting the other's eyes.

Rin wondered if it would be alright to ask Haru if he had liked it. The redhead had definitely enjoyed it.  
It had been short and sloppy, but so sweet and full of tenderness that just the thought of it made Rin want to squeal with joy.

His eyes looked for Haru's in the silvery darkness of the room, and his hand squeezed the other's in an attempt to keep the intimacy they had shared.

But Haru didn't squeeze back. He didn't say anything. He wasn't even looking at Rin. He was mostly unresponsive, except for a small frown adorning his face.

Rin panicked. Had Haru disliked the kiss? Had it been that bad? Rin knew he was not the best kisser in the world -well, this was his first kiss after all, what did Haru expect?

Or maybe Haru had just got along with what Rin wanted, and now he regretted it and hated him? Rin didn't even want to think about that possibility. He had to apologize before things got worse.

"Haru, I'm so-"

"Rin," Haru interrupted him, "I... I think I like you," he said looking at Rin in awe, as if the redhead was some kind of wonderful treasure Haru was laying his eyes upon for the first time.

Rin giggled, moved forward, and hugged Haru tightly, burring his face in the crook of his neck.

"I like you too, Haru," he whispered, and he felt Haru shiver in his arms.

They stayed like that for a long time, and Rin wanted their embrace to last forever.

"Good night, Rin," Haru said, but made no move to get away from Rin. In fact, he seemed to hug him tighter.

"Good night, Haru", Rin replied, bringing Haru even closer to him.

Eventually, both boys fell asleep in each other's arms, their bodies impossibly close and their heartbeats synchronised.

* * *

Haru woke up when he felt the warmth of the first rays of the morning sun filtering through the blinds.

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a mop of messy red hair.

 _'Rin...'_ he thought, and just that name made him smile.

The vivid memories of the previous day’s events assaulted him. His uneasiness when he had noticed that Rin was treating him coldly. Their argument over Rin sleeping on the futon because he thought Haru hated him. Their talk. Their feelings. _Their kiss_.

A part of Haru, a very tiny part that never made itself known, had realised long ago that what he felt for Rin was different from what he felt for Makoto or Nagisa. But Haru had never been good at dealing with feelings, especially with those he couldn't understand, so the emotion had remained unnamed and unacknowledged deep inside his heart.

However, accepting he liked Rin in _that_ way had been surprisingly easy once he had seen the blush on the other boy's cheeks when he had admitted he wanted to kiss Haru, and he had felt his chapped lips on his own.

It had felt so right, as if everything had fallen into place. And Haru had understood then. Rin and he were just meant to be.

He looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table and decided it was too early to get up. Next to him, Rin stirred slightly, but didn't wake up.

Haru put his arm around him and brought him closer. He brushed his lips over the other's forehead, suddenly feeling too shy to kiss him properly.

He closed his eyes, eager to fall asleep again feeling the pleasant warmth of Rin's body against his.

And he just sighed contentedly, thinking that he wouldn’t mind having a dream like Rin’s.

**Author's Note:**

> And that was it. I really wanted to write something to celebrate the mook's release annivesray, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Comments would be much appreciated, but please be gentle? It's my frst Rinhar fic :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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